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Bud--

wrote:
Hi,

It's really hot here tonight and my kids air conditioners upstairs
have me worried. The outlets that they plug into are actually getting
hot and the plug is hot to the touch when I pull it out and feel it.

I switched my son's plug to a newer plug in the bathroom that I had an
electrician put in. I know for a fact that that bathroom plug is
grounded and I trust that electrician. That one does not seem to be
heating up now. I had to run a long extension cord to reach it but
there is no heat anywhere now on that plug at either end.

In my kids room they have grounded outlets but I've always had
problems with the circuit breaker cutting off with the air
conditioners both running at the same time upstairs. It am wondering
if our upstairs rooms may have been a do it yourself job. It's a
dormered out attic and the work is not so great. Not bad, but not
great.

I'm no electrician, but it seems like those units are drawing more
current than the current wiring is capable of handling and it also
seems like they are sharing the same circuit.

If the circuit breaker is tripping with 2 air conditioners running, the
2 air conditioners are a higher amp load than the circuit capacity. You
need to find another circuit for one of the units - something that is
not dead when the circuit breaker trips. If you use an extension cord
use one that is adequate size for the load and not a lot longer than
needed. Or add an outlet on a different circuit. What is the amp rating
for each unit and what is the circuit breaker size?

Obviously it's time to call an electrician but I would appreciate any
feedback on the hot outlets and on how big a job it would be to redo
some of the wiring to that upstairs dormer.

Redo - hard to guess. If you are adding an outlet on a new circuit how
easy is it to get a wire to the panel? With a dormer it is likely you
can't fish wire through the attic which, in general, makes the job more
difficult. New outlet on a different circuit - how far to an outlet on a
different circuit now. Outside walls insulated? (harder to fish in new
wires)

Hot outlet - I agree with others that it could be
- loose wire connection
- use of 'backstab' connections
- cheap outlet that now has a loose connection to the plug (does the
plug pull out real easy?)
- or maybe just the other outlet wires through this outlet.

--
bud--